roman holiday, part i

The Meet Cute - Forum, Colosseum, Mouth of Truth

Joe and Princess Anne meet on a road (no longer in existence) inside the Forum, the remains of Rome's ancient city center, between the Temple of Saturn and the Arch of Titus. Later they tour the Colosseum and visit the Mouth of Truth, an ancient manhole cover now mounted outside of a church. It is said that if one is given to lying and puts a hand in the mouth, it will be bitten off.

Favorite things: The CG movie about the Forum at the Information Center across the street from the Forum (it can be hard to visualize ruins in their original state); the gorgeous church that we exited through after visiting the Mouth of Truth; the quartet of troubadours who wandered around the Colosseum singing Blackbird; Violet's refusal to put her hand in the Mouth of Truth, saying she had lied about washing her hands that morning.

When to go: Do this the first day or two of your visit. It's nice to get it out of the way, and while a must-do, it's probably the least fun you'll have in Rome. Do the Mouth of Truth first, then grab a late lunch. Aim to be at the Colosseum and Forum in the late afternoon, when the crowds have thinned & it's not quite so hot. Seriously.

What to know: The Forum hasn't been repaved for 1600 years or so and the exit is up a long flight of stairs, so don't bring a stroller. The Colosseum, on the other hand, has handicap access and brand new elevators, so you may want one there. The sun can be brutal, so bring a hat or parasol, sunscreen, and water. Entrance for the Forum, Colosseum, and Palatine Hill is combined and good for two days. Purchase entrance tickets at the Forum or Palatine Hill to avoid lines at the Colosseum.

Where we ate: Il Bocconcino, Via Ostilia, 23, was recommended by Lonely Planet and it was perfect. Fresh food prepared well, very nice waitstaff. Closed between lunch & dinner, so check the hours before you go.
Parking: Street parking just above the Colosseum, outdoor parking lot next to the Mouth of Truth.

rome with kids

Rome can be unwieldy. A maze of streets spreads out in all directions, a feast for the eyes and the intellect and a serious test of stamina and patience. Our first time here, as newlyweds, we realized that more than a plan, we needed a mission, a treasure hunt of some kind. On that visit we hunted paintings by Caravaggio, an artist whose work we both admired, our search taking us to a dozen or more museums and churches, many off the well-beaten path, acquainting us with the city in a way that a guidebook would not have.

This time, catering to the tastes of a four-year-old girl, teenage nieces, and myself, we decided use the classic film Roman Holiday as our framework. We made a list of locations, activities, and subjects from the film, and then set out to find and do as many as possible. We added must-sees from our Lonely Planet guide to each intinerary, and, most importantly, attempted to find great food and gelato in the vicinity of each goal. Given the length of our visit, we decided to rent a place in the country and drive in most days, which made for a richer, less cacophonous experience.

It takes a few days to understand the relationship between the various neighborhoods and sites, so I'll post our treasure hunt in what I consider to be the ideal arrangement, not necessarily the way we actually did it. I will also include you-live-you-learn hints, just in case anyone else is crazy enough to try this!  My best tip? Go in December when there are no lines, no Americans, and gorgeous weather.

Rome Essentials

• Google maps app & international data packages for our iPhones
• BabyHawk mei tai carrier for the myriad of stairs that strollers can't negotiate
• ZigZag City Guide, wearable fact cards for young kids
• Bugaboo Chameleon or other stroller with large wheels for all those cobblestones

villa d'este, tivoli

thirty-five

As we were finishing dinner, my husband asked me if it had been a good birthday. I replied that it had been, of course it had. We were in Europe, for one thing, which was more than I had any right to ask for. And we had spent the afternoon touring a spectacular villa (Villa d'Este, more on that later), one of my favorite things to do. It had been introspective for me in a way that was just beginning to distill in my mind and seemed oddly appropriate for this birthday. Everywhere I had looked, all day long, as I explored with my children and nieces and husband--a much different production than we had been in Newport, RI, for my thirtieth birthday, when I was pregnant for the first time and touring the estates of Belle Epoque robber-barons with a large group of friends--I had seen Classical depictions of womanhood and fertility, undeniably idealized when compared with the flesh-and-blood incarnation staring back at them. Now I was sitting in the shadow of the Temple of Vesta, guardian of hearth and home, feeding my baby and eating molten chocolate cake.

All these thoughts and observations poured out, a more complete, rambling answer than Steve may have been looking for. "Sounds like thirty-five," he said.

olive grove, cineto romano

I wish I could bottle this air, sweet with the scents of Teresa's flowers and olive trees, bright with the laughter of the girls on the terrace upstairs as they teach Violet to play Old Maid or splash around in the pool. It is warm but a cool breeze plays through, and the sun, usually too brash for my liking, is somehow softer here. From this place we set forth to explore Rome and Tivoli, returning each evening, grateful to have a respite from the action.

Cineto Romano is a tiny hilltop town with its own rhythms. Mornings are for going to the market and taking care of business and by afternoon the streets are empty. Once the heat of the day has passed, life begins to emerge from the curtained doorways again, and everyone convenes in the town square; a large group of children, ranging in age from seven or eight to late teens, forms to play ball, old women take a corner near the church, and old and middle-aged men gather at the bar to the side of the square or sit on the edge of a fountain, chatting and watching the kids play. A young mother wheels her pram over to a bench and reads as her baby sleeps. Five or six little girls sit on a bench near us, the strangers, and stare intently at us as we watch the happenings. It is so entirely different from all that we know, and yet so taken for granted here. Nice to get out of one's own life for a while.